Art & Architecture of the Carolingian Era

Yalda Safai , Anahita Moghtaderdizaj , Lindsay Drace, & Ron Atkins

Historical Context

by Lindsay Drace

The most numerous surviving works of the Carolingian renaissance are illuminated manuscripts. Under Charlemagne's direction, new Gospels and literal works were prepared, as were teaching materials such as historical, literary and scientific works from ancient authors. Carolingian art had different monastic centers throughout the Carolingian Empire, known as ateliers, and each atelier had its own unique style that developed based on the artists and influences of that particular location and time. The earliest was the Court School of Charlemagne; then a Rheimsian style, which became the most influential of the Carolingian period.

Saint Mark from the Ebbo Gospels The Court School of Charlemagne, known as the Ada school, produced the earliest manuscripts, including the Godescalc Evangelistary (781783), the Lorsch Gospels (778 820), the Soissons Gospels, and the Coronation Gospels. The Court School manuscripts were ornate, courtly ostentatious, and reminiscent of 6th century ivories and mosaics from Ravenna, Italy. They were the earliest Carolingian manuscripts and initiated the rebirth of Roman classicism, yet it still maintained Migration Period art, which their traditions were linear presentations with no concern for spatial relationships or volume. In the early 9th century Ebo of Rheims, at Hautvillers assembled artists and transformed Carolingian art to something entirely new. The Gospel book of Ebbo (816835) was painted with swift and vibrant brush strokes. Other books associated with the Rheims school include the Utrecht Psalter, which was perhaps the most important of all Carolingian manuscripts from the 9th C. Naturalistic and energetic figurine line drawings were entirely new, and became the most influential innovation of Carolinian art in later periods.

Cultural Influences

by Yalda Safai

Throughout the Carolingian empire, Carolingian art had many different monastic centers known as ateliers, and each ateliers had its own style that was made and developed based on each of the artists and the influences of that location and period of time that they were made in. For example one of the most famous of all the Carolingian manuscripts is the Ada School which was influenced by the Scribe Godescalc who had created a Gospel book around 783 for Charlemagne. The Ada School had mostly Greek and middle East features instead of Northern European features. During the late 8th to late 15th century most kings of the Carolingian period were religious figures. From the start their role produced a potent mix of religion, politics and culture. Through out the years the Carolingian kings actively studied and supported the study of religion and religious texts which prepared the soldiers of Christ to lead their people to salvation. At that time it was abbeys and monasteries that had the leading cultural role through out the Carolingian empire and is also reflected in their manuscripts. It was then in their scriptoria that manuscripts were produced and studied. Most of the Carolingian manuscripts were influences by religious backgrounds and the different beliefs about religion which each culture had. These religious influences are seen clearly in some manuscripts since the covers of a few of them, for example; the Crucifixion

front cover of the Lindau gospels

Subject and Style________________________

by Ron Atkins

Even though the major emphasizes was on illumination of books there were also changes made in churches and architecture during the Carolingian era. This new architecture was inspired by the forms of the Greeks and Romans abandoned the small boxlike shapes and used spacious basilicas often intersected by transepts. What changed here was a new emphasis on the western end of the church. The faade of the western end became the focal point of the church. They were sometimes 2 or 3 stories and had spiral staircases serving a chapel often reserved for high dignitaries. One example of this structure of the Carolingian period, which survives today, is the palatine chapel at Aachen, dedicated by Pope Leo III in 805. It is a centralized plan and has an octagonal dome. The design was at least in part based on the 6th-century Church of San Vitale in Ravenna.

Palatine chapel at Aachen

Materials and Processes

by Ron Atkins

We could characterize the Carolingian art period as combining the portability of medieval art with a heavy dose of classical from Rome and Greece. Charlemagne was crowned the Holy Roman Emperor in the year 800 by Pope Leo III in St. Peters basilica in Rome. This visit to Rome had a dramatic effect on him. He loved Rome and the classical sculpture, art and architecture of antiquity. He spent the rest of his life trying to bring this style to his empire. He decided that one of the things he needed to do was to make sure any art or sculpture was designed and built with the finest quality materials. Charlemagne was very interested in education for his people and tried to set an example by being in the classroom himself. He invited to his court at Aachen the best minds and artisans of western Europe and the Byzantine East. He could speak Latin and Frank but never did learn how to write properly. Charlemagne was the first leader to provide a universal education to all youngsters whether they well off or poor. As a result of this books became of utmost importance in the Carolingian period. Their greatest artwork was thus applied to books that Charlemagne valued so highly. A great deal of time and effort went into making Books as beautiful as possible including an extraordinary effort into the covers of the books. We have several examples of this- the Coronation Gospels, the Lindisfarne Gospels, and the Utrecht Psalter (book of Psalms). Many of the book covers were made of gold and jewels, and sometimes ivory and pearls. One of the most luxurious book covers was added to the Lindau Gospels. The gold cover was made in one of he workshops of Charles the Balds court. It is made of Gold, precious stones and pearls. Carolingian miniatures show that they are descendents of antiquity and sometimes were influenced by Byzantine art. Metalwork objects are very rare from this period but literary evidence shows that goldsmiths and enamel workers made contributions. It is interesting that the Equestrian portrait of Charlemagne or Charles the Bald, from Metz, France, ninth century Bronze, is only 9 inches high. I guess this means it was portable.

Selected Work of Art

Lindsay Drace

Both paintings that are shown are a depiction of Saint Matthew and each has a very different unique style. The image on the right is from the Coronation Gospels while the image on the left is from the Ebbo Gospels. Both compositions look incredibly similar to each other, but the style of each is what makes it possible to distinguish them. The Saint Matthew on the left has a cool palette of colors being used and the application of paint is much thicker where you can see the paint almost pop out of you. It almost has a Van Gogh1 style to it.

However Saint Matthew on the right is more formal looking with a warm palette of colors used. The artist also used more primary colors. Besides the technique the one difference in the picture is what each Saint Matthew is sitting on. On the left he appears to be sitting on a stack of books with a pillow on top while on right he appears to be sitting on a more comfortable chair.

1. Van Gogh: Vincent Van Gogh was a late 19th c. Dutch Painter who has been referred to as the Father of Modern Expressionism. His paint application is very thick, almost creating a relief sculptural effect.

by Anahita Moghtaderdizaj The Lindau Gospel Book Cover is a signatory representative of the early and mid 9th century due to its quality to compel and garner admiration from the common masses. The cover exemplifies the attributes of many other works from its period. It is a safe assumption that the majority of the citizens that lived during the time these works were created couldnt read, and that works of art such as the book cover could function as a metaphor for the story contained within. Stories like the Passion could be depicted on a slab of stone or pressed into a sheet of gold to show levels of importance on particular moments. One example of a multi-level drawing is that of the Utrecht Psalter. The Psalter, created around 820 in Reims, is a preliminary source for the style of metaphor overlaid in visual Front Cover of Lindau Gospels representation. The Psalter provided an interpretation to all of the Biblical allusions, sometimes very cleverly. Though the type of visual representation found in the Psalter are thought to be modeled after earlier forms there is a certain simplicity in style that seems to compel not the courtesans, but the common citizen . The images are highly stylized, a far cry from the art of the aristocracy; even more telling, it was rendered in the very local artistic style of the workshops of Reims. The drawings are impressionistic and worked as a puzzle for the viewer. There was a definite link reaching out from the work to the viewer, the Psalter served as a prototypical way of engaging the audience in a visual tale while communicating the literal story behind it. The viewer was able to take a mental picture of a liturgical event. This style progressed and found its way to other visual forms. The ivory book covers illustrating Psalms 50 and 51 had drawn influence and may have been in fact directly modeled after the Utrecht Psalter. The ivories depict the same scenes from the Psalms drawn into the Utrecht Psalter, however, the ivory panels are more of an abridged version. The progression from drawing to book covers represents a certain leap in audience and visual structure even if just momentarily or inadvertently, since ivory was a luxury few could afford, and the meticulous undercutting even fewer. The scenes did however grow in leaps and bounds in the method of figural representation, realistic drapery, and depth that is monumentally achieved in such a minimal space. At this point there is a start of a certain pattern; the visual interpretations of liturgical documents expanded into larger and more luxurious mediums. One could argue that this

Lindau Gospel Book Cover

would achieve the precise opposite of one of the intended or inadvertent purposes of the Utrecht Psalter; in essence neglecting those that made the style popular, the common masses. However, this could not be the case when the Lindau Gospel book cover is taken into account. The covers to the Codex Aureus were created in around 870 in Reims. One strikingly similar attribute to the Lindau cover is the style in which the figures are rendered likening it very closely to the impressionistic forms of the earlier Utrecht Psalter. There is an attempt by the artists to further distance themselves from the aristocratic realism that was found in the ivory book covers in favor of symbolic imagery. The Lindau cover depicts Christ, seemingly floating in an ethereal sea of unparalleled wealth, seemingly dismissing any cover rendered before it. What further separates this piece as one of being one of unequalled importance is the fact that it did not belong to a wealthy aristocrat or courtesan, it was created for the procession, for the church going masses to look at with awe. This work was meant to sit at the altar, with its precious stones, pearls, and gold, one could see how it served as a metaphor for the text within. The jewels on the cover are held in by intricate bezels, harnessing the stone in ornate and dramatic patterns of gold metalwork. The repouss technique is used to render the image of Christ, the angels in mourning hovering in the heavens, and the figures of Mary and John mourning below. The iconography is hard to ignore; the figure of Christ is rendered in gold, the book itself is rendered in jewels and ivory, how could this not be seen as idolatry? This is where the interpretation of metaphor comes into play: the book itself was not meant to be worshipped, but respected as words of unparalleled importance. Like the Utrecht Psalter, the image of Christ told a compact liturgical tale in visual form. It showed a triumphant Christ, his musculature intact, a determined spirit in his face; he isnt dead, he is ascending the realm of reality and entering that of the spiritual. This is once again a reach forward to the impressionistic metaphor, reflecting the content in the form. The Lindau Gospel book covers were in some ways a
Back Book Cover of Lindau Gospels

pinnacle of achievement with regard to the simplistic styles hearkening the admiration the common citizen found in the Utrecht Psalter; it was a liturgical chapter, rendered visually in a stunning medium. The story was easily captured in a way that words could not have implied; the idea of the triumphant Christ is an interpretation decided upon by the artist and so visually ingrained in those who patronized the church that the Lindau Gospel books were a part of. Was this a way of influencing how those churchgoers understood the events depicted in the Gospels ? One can certainly imagine the effect something of this magnitude would have on those who couldnt read or understand Latin. It is a strong possibility that the covers themselves carried the faith of many who saw it and found that anything of such beauty and wealth could simply not be wrong.

Utrecht Psalter

Lorsch Gospels finest example of ivory book

Torhalle (gatehouse)
Carolingian architecture

by Ron Atkins

The rhalle (gatehouse, Lorsch, Germany) was built in the ninth century. Built as a free structure in the atrium of the monastic church, the Lorsch Torhalle is a relative of the Arch of Constantine built in Rome , Italy in 312. Same 3 arches, but no historic reliefs as we find in the Arch of Constantine. One can find close copies of composite capitals and the framing of the arched passageways by engaged columns. The decorative treatment of the wall surfaces with multicolored inlays of cream and pink stone imitates Roman opus reticulation, a method of facing concrete walls with lozengeshaped bricks or stones to achieve a netlike ornamental surface pattern. Note that the roofline is not a copy of anything Roman but the steep roof is submission to the colder weather endured during German winters. Heavy snow will not accumulate on the angled roof. We dont really have a lot of Carolingian architecture, as most buildings that had survived a 1000 years of normal wear and tare were no match for the bombs of World War II. The Torhalle gatehouse is one of the few survivors.

The Equestrian Portrait of Charlemagne

by Yalda Safai

The portrait of Charlemagne is a small plaster equestrian statue made out of black and gold bronze from the early medieval period ( the 9th century).The statue is about 9 and a half inches high ( .27 m) and is currently located in the Louvre museum in Paris, although it should be said that the statue is originally from Metz, France. The statue is of King Charlemagne or as he is more commonly known the Emperor of the West. Charlemagne was the first Christian king of his time and was crowned Holy Roman Emperor on Christmas eve in 800 A.D, after being the King of Franks since 768. In the statue, the king is wearing a crown with lilies, a cloak, a sword, straps covering his limbs and also decorative shoes. In this particular statue Charlemagne also has a long drooping moustache and short cropped hair. In Charlemagne's left hand he is holding a globe which was to them a symbol of world dominion. What is unusual about this statue is that the figure is larger in proportion to the horse meaning Charlemagne appears larger than the horse he is riding on. Although it has been said that Charlemagne was a rather large person in his time (approximately 6 foot 3 inches),but the fact that Charlemagne looks larger is because of the fact that the statue wanted to express that Charlemagne himself is the center of attention not the horse he is riding on. This statue was inspired, actually copied, from the statue of the emperor Marcus Aurelius in Rome, Italy, done in 175CE. It expresses the Roman emperor's majestic authority.

Charlemagne

Printed sources and internet links for further information

www.infoplease.com www.chronique.com/library/MedHistory/charlemagne.htm Pictures from Google images.com Gardners Art though the Ages (The western perspective) 12 edition publ. Thomson, Wadsworth http://www2.lucidcafe.com/lucidcafe/library/96apr/charlemagne.html 1995-2006 Lucid Interactive "Charlemagne." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 1 May 2006, 18:07 UTC. 2 May 2006, 02:29 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Charlemagne&oldid=51075942>. http://www.smokykin.com/ged/f001/f98/a0019837.htm Copyright 1995, 1996 David L. Beckwith Cole, Bruce. ART OF THE WESTERN WORLD: FROM ANCIENT GREECE TO POST MODERNISM. Toughstone ,1991. Jeep, John M. Medieval Germany: An Encyclopedia (Routledge Encyclopedias of the Middle Ages).Garland Publishing, 2001.